Forever & Always
by ShadowKyra
Summary: Two long lost lovers, a childish fantasy and a cruel twist of fate that sends their lives spiraling...eternally. Done for Tattoo Kitty for winning 1st prize in the character creation contest. Involves OCs.


A/N: _This fic is a prize for Tattoo Kitty who won first prize in the Naruto Roleplay Forum Character Creation Contest, under the Category Tragedy. Hope you like it Kitty!_

**Always & Forever  
**_A Naruto OC Fan Fiction by Kyra_

"_Did you find the information I wanted?"_

"_Of course. Wasn't easy though. You have no idea how much trouble I had to go through to find this chick. You should pay me double at lea-"_

"_Yeah yeah, whatever you want. We'll talk about it later. So did you find out...where...where she is...?"_

"_Yeah I did. And her entire weeks schedule pretty much. But man I gotta tell you, that is one damn fine girl you got th-"_

"_Ahem..."_

"_Whoops sorry. Keep forgetting she's taken. Anyway I've got everything you need in this envelope and a picture of her. I thought you'd like that._

"_I...yeah I do. Thanks."_

"_But I gotta warn you man, girl moves around a lot. She switches villages within the week. Even if you know where she is now, how're you ever going to find her?"_

"_Don't worry about that." Ronan said, a soft smile touching his face as he touched his fingers to his throat lightly. "We'll be able to find each other. Always."_

**X X X X X X**

"Oi Ronan, what's that you got there?"

Ronan looked up with a start, looking up as mossy green eyes met the ones that looked over his shoulder. Hastily he clenched his hand, hiding the item that he held and stuffing it into the pocket of his vest, away from prying eyes.

"It's nothing Ishii." He said quickly, grateful for the darkness of the night which now hid the flush that crept up his face. "Get back to your post."

"Well _that_ didn't look like nothin'." His blonde haired teammate insisted, throwing himself on the other, reaching for the pocket where he'd stowed 'nothing' away. Come on, show, or I'm gonna tell Taichou you've been slacking off."

"No...way...Ishii!" He tried in vain to fight his way out from under the blonde's grasp, until finally it became clear that there was no way Ishii was letting go.

"Alright, fine! Here."

"What's this?" He unfolded the piece of paper that had been stuffed into his hand, only to realize that it was a photograph. It was a rather unclear one, taken at a distance by a photographer the person in the photo probably didn't know about. But the picture's quality did nothing to diminish the overwhelming beauty of the woman in it. Her flowing auburn hair and her radiant face seemed to glow like an angel as she smiled, obviously speaking to someone the camera hadn't managed to capture. She was gorgeous.

"Woah...that is one pretty girl." Ishii said, gaping openly until Ronan snatched the picture back out of his hands. "Is she your girlfriend? I didn't know you had one! What's with that huh? Keeping secrets from me like that is so not cool."

"No it's not like that." Ronan replied with a sigh, tucking the picture safely back into his pocket. "She was a friend back in the academy."

"I had friends in the academy. You don't see me carrying their photos around."

Ronan couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, so she was special to me..."

"Thought so." Ishii said with a smug smile. "So what's the lucky Lady's name?"

"Audrey." He said it fondly, a soft smile spreading across his face, his eyes glazing over as if he were recalling a distant memory. "I guess you could say it was love at first sight."

"What happened?"

"She went away."

"That's harsh bro." Ishii said sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder. "The poor girl didn't know what she was missing when she ditched a guy like you."

"She didn't _ditch_ me." Ronan said, smacking his teammates hand away. "Her father took her away when we were both still in the academy...to be a prostitute. We had no idea what that meant at the time...we were both kids. But now..."

Silence rose between the pair, Ishii having sense enough not to speak for some time, leaving Ronan to his thoughts.

"But the girl in the picture...that's her right? She's too old to have been in the academy at that age. It was taken recently wasn't it?"

"Yeah...I got an information broker to help me find her current location."

"Woah, are you serious?" Ishii said, blinking in. "Why? So you can go get her?"

"Believe me, if it wasn't for us being tied down with this mission tonight, I would already have gone."

"You must really love this girl...Still it's amazing you recognized her." Ishii said, tilting his head, his expression doubtful. "I mean who's to say she's going to recognize you at all? It's been years since our academy days."

"That's my problem isn't it?" Ronan retorted, shooting him irritated a look. He did not appreciate his teammate being the voice of doubt in his plans. "Anyway we'll be able to find each other. No matter how much time passes we have something that'll let us find each other no matter what.

"Your voice?" Ishii guessed quickly with a grin, causing Ronan's eyes to widen in surprise.

"How'd you-?"

"You really think no one hears you humming under your breath whenever we're on missions?"

"Damn it Ishii..."

Ishii grinned, pleased that he'd once again managed to successfully embarrass his teammate. "So...you're going to go get her?"

"The moment this mission is done." There was a fire it his voice, a burning passion that struck the blonde. Ronan's expression was one of pure determination. There was no fear, no doubt in those eyes of his. He was going to meet her again.

"Would you two jackasses shove it already and get back to your posts?" A gruff voice growled from the darkness, causing the pair to jump. "Stop screwing around. Do you _want_ your first A-Rank mission to end in failure?"

"Shoot, sorry Taichou." Ishii stuttered cowering in the face of their ruthless squad leader. "Going back right away." With a wink at his teammate, the blonde vanished back into the darkness of the night, leaving Ronan alone with his thoughts.

'_Just a little while longer_ ', He thought to himself. He closed his eyes as he summoned up her image in his mind. Not the image in the picture, but the image of her that he remember from back in their academy days, four years ago when they'd been together and things had seemed as if they would stay that way forever.

Soon they would return to those days. Soon they would see each other again. Just after this last mission...

'_Just a little while.' _

**X X X X X X**

"Taichou, something's up. It's been fifteen minutes and they're not here."

"Are you sure? If you idiots let them slip past you I'll-"

"No way. Our men have all been alert at their posts for the past half an hour. The information we received said that the group we're after would be here at midnight to collect the stolen goods from our spy. Its way past midnight and there's no sign of them. Something's wrong."

"Contact the other teams by radio and check if there's anything suspicious on their end."

"Roger tha-"

The sharp sound of static cut through the silence of the night as throughout the forest, the members of the team checked their communicators. Radio silence was not to be broken unless in the case of emergency. Through the grainy transmission, a single panicked voice could be heard...

"Captain! We've been ambushed! This is a trap! I repeat! This is a trap!"

The next instant time seemed to move in slow motion. From behind Ronan, two figures dropped from the branches behind him. He barely had time to dive as a Kunai that would have otherwise pierced his heart, sliced through the air. Grabbing the branch with his hands, Ronan swing himself up, kicking the legs out from under the first assailant, sending him crashing into the second.

All around him were the sounds of battle. Metal clashed against metal as weapons met. Screams filled the air as the first victims of the fight fell, neither side able to tell which of their comrades had been hit. Already the metallic smell of freshly spilt blood lingered in the air from the splotches of bloody crimson that stained the ground.

His ninja instincts kicked in as he too rushed into the fray to help his comrades in battle. Kunai in hand, he leapt, as graceful as a cat onto the back of a first opponent, stabbing him soundly in the chest. Without waiting to see if he was dead, he pounced on the next one. For some reason...for some un-comprehendible reason, his heart weighed him down like lead and his breaths came in short sharp gasps.

This was not expected...this had not been expected at all. All of a sudden his life was in danger. And despite the situation, his mind was filled with one thing and one thing only.

_Audrey. Audrey...I need to see her. I need to find her again. I'm so close. I can't die here_.

Survival. His mind was fixed only on survival as he tore through the battlefield, dispatching one enemy after another as quickly as he could. Speed was of essence. As long as he was fast no one would be able to lay a hand on him. He could take out as many as he could without putting himself at risk.

If only this would end quickl-

"Argh!"

A sudden force swept him off his legs as someone kicked his feet out from under him. Ronan went crashing to the ground. He was yanked to his feet and pulled off the ground, strong hands clasped ruthlessly around his neck threatening to strangle him. Panic rose within him as he flailed, kicking his legs out in desperation, hoping to hit something anything.

"Little filthy _rats_..." The voice hissed, almost mocking Ronan as he struggled against his captors grasp. "Trying to ambush us. This is what you deserve."

Pain seared through his throat as cold metal sliced through his skin, burning him like fire. His mouth opened in an agonizing scream but no sound came. Ruthlessly he was tossed to the ground. Helplessly he clawed at his throat, only succeeding in covering his own hands in blood.

His throat had been slit, he realized. He was losing blood fast. And yet the only thought that filled his mind was her...Audrey. He had to see her again. He had to.

Seconds later, his world faded to black.

**X X X X X X**

"_What do you mean he's critical?" Ishii screamed, his horrified eyes darting back and forth over the bloody body of his teammate._

"_We're trying!' The medic nin retorted, tears pouring from her own eyes in desperation and frustration at her own uselessness. "But they sliced open his jugular! We're trying our very best to fix it. But he's losing so much blood! And we're not even sure that he'll be able to speak if he does live through it!"_

"_No...No way...he can't die...He can't die yet!"_

Through half opened eyes, Ronan saw the faint light and hazy images of figures around him. Voices rang in his ears, his mind registering panic, frustration and anguish...ah...

Did this mean he was dying? Was he going to die without ever seeing her again? Silent tears rolled down Ronan's cheeks, going unnoticed by everyone else in the room. If only he could have seen her...if only he could have sung to her one last time...

_Just one last time..._

**X X X X X X**

"They said it was a miracle you made it out alive."

He said nothing, his moss green eyes staring blankly onto an empty patch of floor, lifeless and void. Ishii's concerned glances went completely unnoticed. Sighing he placed the apple he'd been peeling on the bedside table.

"But hey...at least your still alive right? Don't think about it too much...you're still gonna get to see...her...Even if you can't sing anymore. I'm sure...I'm sure it'll still work out for you."

Still there was nothing. No response at all. No answer, not even a sign of movement apart from the others' shallow breathing. It was as if he was talking to a corpse. Slowly, Ishii stood up.

"If you need me I'll be around. Just rest okay."

As his teammate left, a single, solitary tear ran down his pale cheek.

His chance of ever meeting her again was gone.

_Forever._


End file.
